A woman from northeast China was arrested and detained, where she experienced excruciating torture. However, after she met a fellow prisoner in the hospital, something miraculous happened—leaving medical staff speechless.

On June 3, 2013, Sun Yanxia was arrested by police for her faith.

Sun practices Falun Gong, or Falun Dafa. The spiritual self-improvement practice teaches following the universal principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, and includes five meditative exercises.

The meditation discipline was banned in China in 1999, after then-leader Jiang Zemin became fearful of the increasing popularity of Falun Gong. Many practitioners were harassed, arrested, forced to undergo brainwashing “re-education” classes, and sometimes killed.

Falun Gong practitioners meditate near the Chinese Consulate in New York on April 23, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Sun was detained and beaten by the police, but she refused to stop practicing Falun Gong. Heavy steel bars were placed on her legs, and other methods of torture were also used, until finally she was severely injured, according to Minghui.org.

She was sent to Jilin Hospital, where she met Zhang Jie.

Zhang Jie was 59 years old, and she had repeatedly attempted to exercise her right to petition the government with a complaint. For that, she had been arrested and detained 19 times.

Zhang had been severely beaten multiple times, and she eventually became paralyzed. At the time, she was serving a six-year sentence at the Jilin Province Women’s Prison.

For several years, she had applied for medical treatment, but was ignored. Finally, after four years, her application was approved, and she was sent to the hospital. However, the hospital director mocked her.

“You’ve already been paralyzed for four years and now you want to stand up? You just think about it!” the director said.

Zhang fell into a deep depression at the thought that she would never recover.

Meanwhile, Sun was sent to the same room in the “special management ward,” and Zhang asked why she was there.

“I told her it was because I practice Falun Gong,” said Sun.

“Oh,” said Zhang, and she fell silent.

Sun decided to start reciting the Falun Gong teachings, which she had memorized. Zhang listened with interest.

“You speak so well,” said Zhang. “What you say touches my heart.”

A few days later, Sun realized that even though her feet were shackled, she could still reach Zhang. She helped the paralyzed woman sit up and cross her legs in the meditation position.

A young Chinese girl meditates near Times Square at a demonstration of the Falun Dafa exercises. (The Epoch Times)

Later, Zhang said she felt the strange sensation that needles were flying out through her bones and joints. She also felt a warm current flowing around her lower abdomen and felt very calm and peaceful.

“I can’t describe it with words, but it was an experience I’ll never ever forget for the rest of my life,” she said.

After that day, she was able to sit up. Then during the next week, she was able to move her toes. Finally, she could even move her legs.

On the tenth day, Zhang stood up on her feet. She supported herself as she walked to the bathroom.

Every day, Sun and Zhang practiced Falun Gong together. At one point, the head nurse rushed into the room.